Rotary motor



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. E. CRISP.

ROTARY MOTOR.

{No Model.)

No. 560,194. Patented May 19, 1896.

F1 g-l- INVEN THE.

WiTNEExSES- (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. E. CRISP.

ROTARY MOTOR.

No. 560,194. Patented May 19, 1896.

WiTNEEIEEE- Fig-Z- INVENTEIR- we 5. wmwmm ANDREW B GRAHAM,PflUIO-L|THOWASHINGTON. D

ROTARY MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,194, dated May 19,1896.

Application filed March 3, 1893.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOSEPH E. CRISP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and use ful Improvement in RotaryMotors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a rotary motor of novel construction, which isshown and described as a steam-motor with a variable cut-oft.

In the drawings which form a part of the specification, Figure 1 is afront elevation of the machine with the front head removed and showing aportion of the outside casing and motor-ring in section upon line A A,Fig. 2, and also the exhaust-port, which is formed in the back head.Fig. 2 shows the casing and the front and back heads in verticalcrosssection on line B B, Fig. 1, and also shows the motorring on lines13 and B. This figure also shows a side elevation of the power-shaft andthe central block which is fixed in the center of the machine betweenthe front and back heads, with other details to be hereinafterdescribed.

Similar figures refer to similar parts in both views.

The outside casing 1, of any desirable length and diameter, is made fromany suitable metal and has attached to or formed upon it stands 2, whichsupport the machine in the preferred position.

The interior of the casing is finished out round, and fitted and securedto its ends by suitable bolts are the front and back heads 3 and i.

To the interior of the casin g there are fitted the rings 5 and 0, whoseinner edges are bevfitted to slide between the angular edges of therings (3 and 7 is the segment of a ring 8, having one of its endsinclined to fit the in Serial No. 464,596. (No model.)

cline of the segment 7 and also having gearteeth formed upon its back.

Fitted to a suitable bearing in the casing is a shaft with thepinion-gear 9 formed upon or secured to it, and the teeth of said gearcorrectly intermesh with the teeth of the segment 8, so that by theoperation of a crank or other handle on the end of the shaft the segment8 can be reciprocated through the vacant space between the ends of thesegments 7 and 8. The pinion-shaft passes through a suitable gland 10,formed upon the front head, as shown by Fig. 2. The segment 8 forms thevariable cut-ofli', and when its i11- clined end is brought intointimate contact with the incline of the segment 7 it also acts as athrottlewalve.

To the interior of the rings and segments there is fitted the motor-ring11, so that it is free to revolve therein, but when so revolving will besubstantially steam-tight, and on the outside of said ring, between thefront head and the ring 5, are formed the gear-teeth 12, as shown byFig. 1.

A power-shaft 13 is fitted to revolve in bearings formed below themotor-ring in the easin g 1 and front head 3, where itpasses through thegland 14, and fixed upon this shaft is a pinion-gear which intermesheswith the gear upon the motor-ring and causes the powershaft to revolvewhen said ring is in motion.

Inside of the motor-rin g there is firmly fixed to the front and backheads by the bolt 15 the block 16, whose lower surface contacts with theinterior of said ring about one-third of its circumference. This blockis provided with a groove on the side next the back head, to which arefitted the ends of steady-pins fixed in said head, so that the block canbe adj usted with reference to the interior surface of the motor-ring,but cannot change its angular posit-ion. This adjustment is for thepurpose of causing the sides of the motor-ring to run steam-tightbetween the block 16 and the rings and segment '7, forming the lowerpart of the bearing in which the motor-ring revolves. To provide anautomatic adjustment for the same purpose, a portion of the lower partof the block 16 is cut away and the swinging valve 17 is set therein, sothat its free end can be pressed by the springs 18 toward the interiorof the motor-ring. This valve is jointed to the block 16 in the samemanner as'are the pistons to the motor-ring, which will be describedhereinafter.

The swinging pistons 19, 20, and 21. are hung upon the interior of themotor-ring, and they swing back into recesses formed therein andsubstantially preserve the continuity of the surfaceof said ring whenthey are passing under the block 16. The joints upon which these pistonsswing are made in pintle form of two sizes, the larger central parttaking a bearing in the metal of the motor-ring and the smaller endstaking a bearing in the collars 22, which in turn are fitted intocounterhored recesses in the edges of said ring, as shown by the sectionof the piston 21 in Fig. 2. This combination allows the pistons to swingfree, and at the same time when pressure is applied forms a perfectjoint. Back of the free ends of the swinging pistons ports 23 are formedthrough the motor-ring, and the projections 21, formed at the back ofthe pistons, fill the ports when the pistons are swung back. To the backsides of the pistons are secured light springs 25, which contact withthe motorring as the pistons are swinging back and resist the tendencyof centrifugal force to cause the pistons to clash against the interiorof the motor-ring and cause noise. These springs also cause the innersides of the pistons to bear against the lower portion of the block 16and preserve the joint, and they also act to start the pistons when theycommence to swing toward the center of the casing.

The motor-ring and the pistons are fitted to turn between the front andback heads steamtight and the edges of the pistons swing in intimatecontact therewith, so that the effective length of the pistons is thedistance between said heads and is constant. The free ends of thesepistons are properly curved and fitted to move tight upon a portion ofthe surface of the block 16, which represents the effective stroke ofthe pistons. The block 16 at this part is suitably curved, and thedistance from the interior of the 1notor-ring to the surface of saidblock at the point where the free end of one of the pistons is restingrepresents the effective width of the piston at that point, which widthis variable. By this it will be seen that the curve of the surface ofthe block 16 (upon which the free ends of the pistons bear during theiractive motion) relative to the circumference of the interior of themotor-ring governs the area and of course the power exerted by thepistons to turn the motor-ring at the different points of itsrevolution. This curve would also have to vary to produce the bestresults when used for compressible or incompressible fluids.

In the present instance the curve of the bearing-surface of the block 16is substantially correct for the expansion of steam about fifteen timesfrom the initial pressure in the valve-chamber and cylinder at the timeof cut 0fftl1at is, the curve is such that as the steam-pressuredecreases by expansion the piston area increases in the same ratio, sothat the piston acting will exert a constant force to revolve themotor-ring.

The exhaust-port 26, provided with a suitable outlet, is formed in theback head at, as shown by the dotted lines, and its upper edge islocated so that when the edge of one of the pistons is just disclosingit the succeeding piston has moved under the influence of the initialpressure to the position shown by the dotted lines of the piston 19.This blending of the movements of the pistons under pressure furtherpreserves the continuity of the force exerted upon the motor-ring as thepistons succeed each other during the revolution of said ring.

In the casing back of the segment 8 is formed the valve-chamber 27,provided with a suitable inlet through which steam is introduced.

It will be seen from inspect-ion of Fig. 1 that the segment 8,interposed between the valve-chamber 27 and the outer side of the motorring, when brought into contact with the inclined end of the segment 7,closes the passage from the valve-chamber to the ports formed throughsaid ring,'and that moving the segment 8 from that point in thedirection which the motor-ring revolves governs the angular distance foradmitting steam to said ports and the point of cut off.

The part of the block 16 which does not contact with the motor-ringorthe ends of the pistons is curved to engage with the inner sides ofsaid pistons and gradually move them into the recesses formed in themotor-ring against the action of the springs 25, as shown by the piston21.

The operation of one piston, starting from the full lines of the piston19 with the segment 8 moved back to the dotted line representing itsfront end, is as follows: At the point designated the port in themotor-ring just discloses the variable steam-passage formed by theseparation of the inclined ends of the segments 7 and 8, so that thesteam-pressure commences to act upon the piston 19 before it commencesits swinging movement. As the motor-ring revolves the action of thesteam pressure swings the free end of the piston against thebearing-surface of the block 16 until it reaches the position shown bythe dotted lines, when the steam is cut off, leaving the space betweenthe back of the piston and the interior of the recess full of steam atthe initial pressure. During this time the bearing-surface of the block16 and so much of the piston 19 as has swung beyond the interiorcircumference of the motor-ring forms an abutment against which thereaction of the expanding steam inclosed between it and the back of thepiston 20 causes said piston to continue to act until it discloses theexhaust-port 26, when said pis ton is relieved from further labor andthe force to move the motor-ring is then entirely supplied by the piston19. As the steam expands the piston 10 swings farther toward the centerof the casing, and its effective area increases as the steam-pressuredecreases until it nearly reaches the position of the piston 20, as willbe understood from the fine dotted lines between the pistons 19 and 90.\Vhen the piston 19 reaches the position of the piston 20, the piston 21has arrived at the startin g position of 19 and will operate in the samemanner, as will the other pistons so long as the motor-ring revolves.hen the pistons first commence acting against the surface of the block1b under pressure, as shown by the piston 10, their operation upon themotor-rin g is a thrust nearly parallel with their length, and they pushthe motor-ring around as if a lever was fulcrumed upon the block andacting against their ends. As the pistons swing out from the motor-ringtheir action upon said ring changes, and were they permitted to swingdiametrically out from said ring they would act as the buckets of awheel and their pressure upon the block be reduced to nothing. The partof the block 10 against which the ends of the pistons act thereforeserves both as a fulcrum to move the motor-rin g and as an abutmentagainst which the steam-pressure reacts to produce motion of the pistonsand the 1notor-ring.

The action of the pistons, as just described, causes their ends to bearagainst the pintles and the surface of the block with a variablepressure, which is governed by the steampressure acting behind them, andas the pressure decreases their friction also decreases. This causes theends of the pistons to move tight under all pressures without excessivefriction at some points of revolution. As the thrust of the ends of thepistons is reduced the inner surface of the motor-ring moves into thechamber formed by said ring, the block, and the back sides of thepistons, and the pressure of the steam within said chamber acts tosupport the motor-rin As the steannpressure is reduced by expansionthere is more of the surface of the ring exposed to its action, so thatby the combined action of the pistons and the pressure the weight of themotor-ring, when it is revolv ing, is at all times substantially removedfrom its bearing in the casing. This is true without reference to theposition of the cutoff, for the further the initial pressure is carriedthe more is the pressure at corresponding points within the motor-ringto resist the larger surface exposed to the direct pressure on theoutside of said ring.

The motor-ring can be made in longitudinal sections, if found desirable,with the joints in the thick parts between the recesses, into which thepistons fit.

To the outer end of the power-shaft pulleys or gears may be attached tocommunicate motion to any desired mechanism, and should it be necessaryto reverse the movements of this mechanism an auxiliary shaft may bemounted at the side of the power-shaft and connected thereto by swinginggears, preferably friction, in the usual manner.

The advantages of the construction herein shown and described are manyand impor taut, the principal of which are:

First. Securing the block between and to the center of the front andback heads largely reduces the leak-surface common to machines of thisclass and allows of the use of much lighter heads and at the same timesecures greater rigidity of the sides which contact with the edges ofthe motor-ring and swinging pistons, so that said edges will run freeand at the same time be sufliciently close to insure a good steam-joint.

Second. The steampressure being balanced upon both sides of themotor-ring and the fact that there is no power-shaft fixed theretoprevents its edges from grinding upon either head by the effect ofoutside strain.

Third. The movement of the ends of the swinging pistons over the surfaceof the central block when acting is about one-half of what it would beif they operated against the interior of the casing in the usual manner,and this reduces the friction and wear of the machine, and the action ofthe pistons against said block tends to ease the weight of themotor-ring and cause it to revolve free, while at the same time thecentrifugal action of said ring causes it to throw and hold thelubricant in the requisite places.

Fourth. The outer circumference of the motor-ring moves the portstherein past the valve at a high rate of speed and produces a squarecut-off, and there being no waste by clearance the best possible resultfrom expansion is attained, and the increasing effective area of thepistons renders it possible to obtain the same benefit from a high gradeof expansion as is now given by the use of complicated compound enginesof the best class and with a lower rate of piston speed.

Fifth. WVhen used for boat service the weight will be placed low, and,if desired, several motors could be geared tandem to the auxiliaryshaft, and, while the gyroscopic action of the revolving motor-ringwould counteract the tendency to roll, the equal efficiency of the powerapplied to the propeller at all. times would increase the steadiness ofmotion, and the perfect balance of the motorring would prevent injuriousresults from racing.

Having thus described my invention, its construction and mode ofoperation, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

1. In a rotary motor, a stationary outside casing, an independentmotor-ring fitted to revolve therein, a stationary abutment,substantially as described, located within said ring, suitable headsfixed to said casing and abutment, swinging pistons mounted on said ringand acting against said abutment to revolve said ring, and inlet andoutlet passages to admit and exhaust the motive fluid to and from saidpistons, all operating substantially as shown and described.

2. In a rotary motor, a casing, a central abutment, suitable heads fixedthereto, a motor-ring fitted to revolve therein with inlet ports formedthrough the sides of said ring, swinging pistons mounted on said ringhaving projections to enter said ports, in combination with a segmentalsliding valve interposed between said casing and ring and suitablegearing to slide and hold said valve,-

whereby the motive fluid can be admitted to act upon said pistons forany desired part of their active motions, substantially as described.

3. In a rotary motor which is operated by the expansive force of anelastic fluid, a casing, a motor-ring fitted to revolve therein, acut-off interposed between said casing and ring, swinging pistonsmounted on said ring, a central abutment against which said pis tons actto revolve said ring, whose contactin g surface is so curved withreference to the interior circumference of the motor-ring that theeffective area of said pistons increases in the same ratio as thefluid-pressure decreases after the time of cut-off, and suitable headsfor said casing to which said abutment is secured, all substantially asshown and de scribed.

i. In a rotary motor which is operated by the expansive force of anelastic fluid, a casing having a valve-chamber provided with a suitableinlet, a central abutment provided with a swinging valve operatingsubstantially as described suitable heads secured to said casing andabutment, a removable lining for the casing supporting an adjustablesegmental valve to close said valve-chamber, a motor-ring having portsformed through its sides and fitted to revolve within said lining inintimate contact with said valve, swinging pistons mounted on said ring,having springs fixed to their backs which act against the interior ofsaid ring and a fixed exhaust-port formed in the back head and providedwith a suitable outlet, all substantially as described and for thepurpose set forth.

5. In a rotary motor, a casing, a central abutment, suitable heads fixedthereto, a motor-ring fitted to revolve therein, having gearteeth on aportion of its outer circumference, swinging pistons mounted on saidring and acting against said abutment to revolve said ring, apower-shaft mounted on said casing,

having a suitable gear thereon to connect it to said ring, and passingout through one of said heads, and inlet and outlet passages to admitand exhaust the motive fluid to and from said pistons, all operatingsubstantially as shown and described.

JOS. E. CRISP.

\Vitnesses:

EDMUND II. TALBOT, MARY E. \VooDBURN.

